[Marxism-Thaxis] Fidel: 'Cuban Model Doesn't Even Work For Us Anymore'
Fidel: 'Cuban Model Doesn't Even Work For Us Anymore' http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/09/fidel-cuban-model-doesnt-even-work-for-us-anymore/62602/ Sep 8 2010, 12:00 PM ET There were many odd things about my recent Havana stopover (apart from the dolphin show, which I'll get to shortly), but one of the most unusual was Fidel Castro's level of self-reflection. I only have limited experience with Communist autocrats (I have more experience with non-Communist autocrats) but it seemed truly striking that Castro was willing to admit that he misplayed his hand at a crucial moment in the Cuban Missile Crisis (you can read about what he said toward the end of my previous post - but he said, in so many words, that he regrets asking Khruschev to nuke the U.S.). Even more striking was something he said at lunch on the day of our first meeting. We were seated around a smallish table; Castro, his wife, Dalia, his son; Antonio; Randy Alonso, a major figure in the government-run media; and Julia Sweig, the friend I brought with me to make sure, among other things, that I didn't say anything too stupid (Julia is a leading Latin American scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations). I initially was mainly interested in watching Fidel eat - it was a combination of digestive problems that conspired to nearly kill him, and so I thought I would do a bit of gastrointestinal Kremlinology and keep a careful eye on what he took in (for the record, he ingested small amounts of fish and salad, and quite a bit of bread dipped in olive oil, as well as a glass of red wine). But during the generally lighthearted conversation (we had just spent three hours talking about Iran and the Middle East), I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting. "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore," he said. This struck me as the mother of all Emily Litella moments. Did the leader of the Revolution just say, in essence, "Never mind"? I asked Julia to interpret this stunning statement for me. She said, "He wasn't rejecting the ideas of the Revolution. I took it to be an acknowledgment that under 'the Cuban model' the state has much too big a role in the economic life of the country." Julia pointed out that one effect of such a sentiment might be to create space for his brother, Raul, who is now president, to enact the necessary reforms in the face of what will surely be push-back from orthodox communists within the Party and the bureaucracy. Raul Castro is already loosening the state's hold on the economy. He recently announced, in fact, that small businesses can now operate and that foreign investors could now buy Cuban real estate. (The joke of this new announcement, of course, is that Americans are not allowed to invest in Cuba, not because of Cuban policy, but because of American policy. In other words, Cuba is beginning to adopt the sort of economic ideas that America has long-demanded it adopt, but Americans are not allowed to participate in this free-market experiment because of our government's hypocritical and stupidly self-defeating embargo policy. We'll regret this, of course, when Cubans partner with Europeans and Brazilians to buy up all the best hotels). But I digress. Toward the end of this long, relaxed lunch, Fidel proved to us that he was truly semi-retired. The next day was Monday, when maximum leaders are expected to be busy single-handedly managing their economies, throwing dissidents into prison, and the like. But Fidel's calendar was open. He asked us, "Would you like to go the aquarium with me to see the dolphin show?" I wasn't sure I heard him correctly. (This happened a number of times during my visit). "The dolphin show?" "The dolphins are very intelligent animals," Castro said. I noted that we had a meeting scheduled for the next morning, with Adela Dworin, the president of Cuba's Jewish community. "Bring her," Fidel said. Someone at the table mentioned that the aquarium was closed on Mondays. Fidel said, "It will be open tomorrow." And so it was. Late the next morning, after collecting Adela at the synagogue, we met Fidel on the steps of the dolphin house. He kissed Dworin, not incidentally in front of the cameras (another message for Ahmadinejad, perhaps). We went together into a large, blue-lit room that faces a massive, glass-enclosed dolphin tank. Fidel explained, at length, that the Havana Aquarium's dolphin show was the best dolphin show in the world, "completely unique," in fact, because it is an underwater show. Three human divers enter the water, without breathing equipment, and perform intricate acrobatics with the dolphins. "Do you like dolphins?" Fidel asked me. "I like dolphins a lot," I said. Fidel called over Guillermo Garcia, the director of the aquarium (every employee of the aquarium, of course, showed up for work -- "voluntarily," I was told) and told him to sit with us. "Goldberg," Fidel said, "ask him questions about dolphin
[Marxism-Thaxis] SUV Being Used by Rev. Jesse Jackson Stolen
SUV Being Used by Rev. Jesse Jackson Stolen shieldsgreen [Moderator] 0 minutes ago What with Bing's "back-up" car having the wheels stolen and Jesse's "borrowed" car being stolen, it appears black on black crime has risen to a new level. Yeah, but with the Wall Street bailout and Madoff and whatnot, white on white crime is about a billion times bigger than black on black crime By RONNIE DAHL myFOXDetroit.com DETROIT - Rev. Jesse Jackson was rallying around Detroit and marching through downtown last weekend promoting jobs, justice and peace, but the religious leader didn't find peace. He found trouble when the Cadillac Escalade he was using to get around the city was ripped off from a parking lot near the Doubletree Hotel. We asked a man who knows car thieves how quick a vehicle could be stolen in Detroit. He answered, "You could steal their car in two minutes." The sweet ride was later discovered stripped off Lawton Street. For those willing to take the risk, there's big money to be made. "$1,200 all the way up to $1,600 for Caddy truck wheels," the aforementioned man said. Detroit has the highest auto theft rate in the state, something Tomas Castillo found out the hard way. Within three years, he told us that he had two pickup trucks stolen. Diana Fernandez's mini van was stolen in Detroit back in 2002. It was recovered, or at least what was left of it. "I was happy that they found it, but then when they told me it was burnt, it was like man," she said. "It's just easy pickings for thieves," said Terri Miller. She's the director of the organization Help Eliminate Auto Thefts. Keeping up with car crooks in the Motor City keeps her busy. "There are over 20,000 cars stolen in city of Detroit every year, and there's almost 35,000 vehicles stolen Michigan. So, it's a huge issue," Miller said. You can cash in on car crooks by calling the following tipline: 1-800-242-HEAT. It's confidential, and you can get up to $10,000 for information. As for the Rev. Jackson, his camp is not commenting about the theft. * shieldsgreen [Moderator] 0 minutes ago What with Bing's "back-up" car having the wheels stolen and Jesse's "borrowed" car being stolen, it appears black on black crime has risen to a new level. Yeah, but with the Wall Street bailout and Madoff and whatnot, white on white crime is about a billion times bigger than black on black crime * Nurse_0600 [Moderator] 4 days ago Hahahahahaha... Nothing says "Welcome to Detroit" like getting your vehicle stolen... Flag 15 people liked this. Like Reply Reply * fourchan [Moderator] 3 days ago in reply to Nurse_0600 welcome to detroit city, all my gangsters and all my thugs Flag 1 person liked this. Like Reply Reply * mh757 [Moderator] 4 days ago LOL...couldn't happen to a more deserving man! Flag 11 people liked this. Like Reply Reply * fourchan [Moderator] 3 days ago in reply to mh757 extortionist Flag Like Reply Reply * RepubInADemLand [Moderator] 4 days ago What with Bing's "back-up" car having the wheels stolen and Jesse's "borrowed" car being stolen, it appears black on black crime has risen to a new level. Flag 7 people liked this. Like Reply Reply * badditude [Moderator] 3 days ago in reply to RepubInADemLand As always with Jesse, I'm sure at the end of the day he will have somebody other than Detroiters to blame. Flag 6 people liked this. Like Reply Reply * RepubInADemLand [Moderator] 3 days ago in reply to badditude Yes. He will blame it on the young punks from the 'burbs. Flag 6 people liked this. Like Reply Reply * ReturnOfTheSith [Moderator] 2 days ago in reply to badditude As a middle aged white man, it must be my fault somehow. Flag 1 person liked this. Like Reply Reply * Auggy [Moderator] 3 days ago in reply to badditude Wonder if he's going to have a march for cars now? Can't forget Sharpton and Feiger! Like to see Feiger as mayor having this happen to him. Flag 1 person liked this. Like Reply Reply * fourchan [Moderator] 3 days ago in reply to RepubInADemLand got dats right. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Fwd: Roy Haynes, Jazz Drummer...
Wow. I haven't seen him for close to 30 years. He did indeed play with Trane. I'm from the LP era, so I don't know about CDs, but I believe Haynes was the drummer on my favorite version of "My Favorite Things" ever (1963), on the /Selflessness/ album. (Dammit, I don't have this on CD!) I think he also played with Sarah Vaughan, along with everyone else. On 9/8/2010 8:30 AM, c b wrote: > PB: ...who performed on Monday at Hart Plaza at the jazz festival in > Detroit, is 85 years old! I had thought that he had played with John > Coltrane on a live record featuring My Favorite Things. But I can't > seem to find it. However, during his life he did play with Charlie > Parker, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and just about everybody who > was or is anybody in Jazz! > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Fwd: Roy Haynes, Jazz Drummer...
PB: ...who performed on Monday at Hart Plaza at the jazz festival in Detroit, is 85 years old! I had thought that he had played with John Coltrane on a live record featuring My Favorite Things. But I can't seem to find it. However, during his life he did play with Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and just about everybody who was or is anybody in Jazz! ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
